---
sidebarTitle: Community Grant
description:
  The GraphQL Community Grant program helps the GraphQL Foundation invest
  directly into the success, health, and sustainability of our ecosystem.
---

# GraphQL Community Grant

The GraphQL Community Grant program is funded by the GraphQL Foundation and
administered by the [GraphQL Technical Steering Committee (TSC)][tsc]. The goal
of the program is to provide financial support and incentives for key technical
and community initiatives within the GraphQL Foundation's projects.

The GraphQL Community Grant program accepts applications at any time and reviews
them at least twice per year. Grant applications are reviewed by the TSC based
upon funding that is received as membership dues for the GraphQL Foundation.
This is one way in which the GraphQL Foundation directly supports the ongoing
health of the GraphQL developer ecosystem.

We encourage you to be creative in your grant application, and propose tasks
that are straightforward to articulate, achievable in three months, and bounded
in scope.

Examples include:

- Finishing an outstanding RFC task that has been untended
- Getting a major pull request to a Foundation project ready to be merged
- Community advocacy, such as writing a deep-dive blog documenting a specific
  feature, writing a whitepaper, or developing newcomer onboarding guides and
  materials
- Maintaining projects or infrastructure hosted in GraphQL repositories
- Other user experience improvement ideas for the [graphql.org][] website and/or
  [github.com/graphql][]

We are not funding work on projects outside https://github.com/graphql/ at this
time.

## How to apply

To apply, please complete the [GraphQL Community Grant Program
application][application-form].

The GraphQL Community Grant Program accepts applications at any time. Applicants
can only have one active grant at a time, but may re-apply at any time.

## FAQs

### Do I need to be developing the specification or code to apply?

While we anticipate most applications will be for new technical development and
documentation, we also encourage applications for community-building activities.
Examples include community gardening and neutral advocacy for GraphQL adoption.

### What work is expected?

Applications should describe work that can be completed in two to three months.
Additionally, we'll ask you to write a blog post report after three months
describing your work and its impact on the GraphQL community.

### What amount of money is available per grant?

The grant amount offered will depend on our available funding and the number of
approved grants per cycle. Individual grants are expected to be between $1,000
and $10,000 USD. When you apply you can select what size of grant you feel would
be appropriate, but if approved you may be offered a different amount and it
will be your choice whether to proceed.

### When can I expect to receive a response about my application?

We will review applications at least twice per year; however, we endeavor to
review applications as they come in and you will receive a response within 2
months of review.

### How often can I apply?

You may only have one grant application open at a time, but otherwise as
frequently as you like.

### Who is eligible?

Any individual working in the GraphQL developer community who can legally
receive a payment from a US-based organization, including meeting any local tax
or legal requirements. Please note that this program is not work-for-hire, and
this is not an employment arrangement.

_Only individuals are eligible to receive funding._

### Are there any restrictions on what I produce?

Yes. All outcomes from the grant must be for the benefit of the GraphQL
community, meaning that code must be contributed to public repositories under an
appropriate open source license (generally MIT). Publications and documentation
should be available to the public and not behind a paywall. We also expect every
recipient to write a blog post summarizing the work they've done and how it
benefits the community at large.

In summary, the GraphQL Community Grant Program is for the benefit of the
GraphQL community. We want everything that is produced under this program to be
usable by our community. Currently, we're primarily interested in work that
directly improves the GraphQL Foundation projects.

### Do I have to sign anything?

Yes, if your proposal is selected you will need to sign the GraphQL Grantee
Agreement ([preview][agreement-preview]) in order to receive the funding. It is
your responsibility to read and understand the contents of the agreement.

### What currencies are grants awarded in?

All grants are awarded in United States Dollars (USD), so they should be
requested in USD. The amount specified in the grant agreement is fixed in USD
and will not be adjusted for currency fluctuations, conversion rates, or any
other exchange-related considerations. Recipients are responsible for any
associated currency conversion or banking fees.

### When are grant funds disbursed?

Grants are typically disbursed in full upon successful completion of the agreed
deliverables. However, in select cases, individuals with a demonstrated history
of substantial contributions to GraphQL Foundation projects may be eligible to
receive a small portion of the grant amount as an advance. Any such advance is
entirely at the discretion of the GraphQL Foundation and must be agreed upon in
writing prior to the commencement of the grant work. The remainder will be
disbursed only upon successful completion of the agreed deliverables.

### How does the review process work?

After submission, the GraphQL TSC's appointed grants representative is notified
and typically reviews the application within two working weeks. If the grant is
clearly out of scope, it will be declined with an explanation. If more
information is needed, it will be requested. Otherwise, the application proceeds
to the full TSC for review, discussion, and voting.

The TSC aims to provide feedback within a further 2–3 working weeks, though this
may take longer depending on availability or complexity. If it takes longer than
3 weeks, the applicant will be informed.

At the end of the review process, one of three outcomes is likely:

1.  The application is accepted, and next steps (contract, invoicing, etc.) are
    initiated.
2.  Changes are requested (e.g. revised scope or funding).
3.  The application is declined, typically with guidance for resubmission.

Note: Timelines are best-effort and may shift due to holidays, travel, or other
factors.

## More information

If you have questions, please contact [operations@graphql.org][].

[tsc]: https://github.com/graphql/graphql-wg/blob/main/GraphQL-TSC.md
[graphql.org]: https://graphql.org
[github.com/graphql]: https://github.com/graphql
[operations@graphql.org]: mailto:operations@graphql.org
[agreement-preview]: https://grantee-agreement-preview.graphql.org
[application-form]:
  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciopqGoQE2hBhxsb5E6dq12VrD221Zv4dsGWa1nQM35FT1nA/viewform?usp=sf_link
